 you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. NBC brings you dragnet. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to robbery detail. A ruthless fiend roams the streets of your city, masquerading as a police officer. For months, helpless citizens have been robbed, beaten senseless, and kidnapped. The criminal is a twisted genius, vicious, cunning. Your job is to get him. Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime, investigated and solved by the men who unrelentingly stand watch on the security of your home, your family, and your life. For the next 30 minutes in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case from official police files, from beginning to end, from crime to punishment. Dragnet is the story of your police force in action. It was Wednesday, June 4th. It was warm in Los Angeles. We were working the night watch out of robbery detail. My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Ed Backstrand, Chief of Detectives. My name's Friday. I was on my way back from communications, and it was 11, 13 p.m. when I got to room 27A. Robbery detail. Oh, hi, Joe. Hi, Ben. Did you get that message to call home? Yeah, bad news. What's the matter? That dog gone kid of mine, chicken pox. Oh, again? Last year, it was a mumps. A year before that, the measles. Every time I get set for a vacation, he decides to catch some. Oh, forget it, Ben. Think what a comfort he's going to be in your old age. Go ahead, lad. You'll find out. Yeah? How are you, Friday, Romero? Fine. What can we do for you? You don't look like you remember me. Oh, no, wait a minute. Your name's Savage, isn't it, George? It's Johnny, Sergeant. Johnny Savage, you remember now? Oh, sure. Those liquor store robberies out in the Wilshire district. About six, seven years ago, wasn't it? 10 years, Romero. You ought to remember that. You were at the trial. We test to find court every week. 10 years is a long time. It's longer in the state pen. It's a lot longer. You cried a little at that trial, didn't you, Savage? You said we beat that confession out of it. Yeah, that's why I figured I'd drop in for a little visit. Kind of apologized to you fellas. You gave me a square deal. I guess I kind of lost my head. I figured I'd apologize. Oh, that's all right, Savage. When'd you get out? Couple of weeks ago. I did it the hard way. Served 10 flat. I don't know my day. You find a job yet? Yeah, Friday. I'm working nights. What kind of a job? Labor and a warehouse, south end of town. Good. You decided to level? 10 years in prisons a long time. You learn a lot of things. Nights are long. You think a lot. You get things straightened out. I hope you mean that. Sure, I mean it, Friday. I've got everything straightened out. I know who my friends are, and I know who to watch out for. You sound like maybe on the right track. I got it figured, Romero. Like you two fellas, you caught me red handed and you sent me up for 10 years. Well, you did all right, Savage. Five armed robberies. You got off pretty easy. You've got a break, Savage. Make the best of it. Sure, I'm not kicking. 10 years, a real break. That's right. Well, just dropped in for a little visit. Maybe I'll see you fellas sometime. All right, Savage, keep your nose clean. Sure, no heart feelings. No. You just took 10 years of my life, that's all. There's no such thing as a man going through prison without changing, and Ben and I have seen him switch in both directions. Some men learn their lesson after they land behind bars, and when they're released, they turn into good citizens. Johnny Savage was sour. We made a mental note to check him out later on, and then we went down to the record bureau and pulled his coming out mug. That's about all we had time for, because about an hour later, we started to get busy. Hot shot, Jill, grab it. On the corner of Selma and Naples, the drug store, 211 and probable attack. On the corner of Selma and Naples, 211 and pr- What you got, Jill? Selma and Naples, 211 and attack. Come on. I'm on the poor corner. Get out. Come on. We got the story from the victim, the store owner, Mr. Thomas. For the most part, it was the usual rundown of an early morning holdup. There was only one exception. Oh, I've had young hoodlums try to hold me up before, but there was nothing like this one. How you mean, Mr. Thomas? Well, he came in here just before closing, and ordinarily out, he kept an eye out, because it's a time to look for him. But this fella came to the door and said he was a policeman, so I let him in. He looked like a cop. Boyd's right up to me and the wife behind the counter and pointed a gun. And she screamed, and he hit her in the face with the butt of the gun. Sergeant, it was horrible. That's the way it started, and that's the way it kept going, because most of the victims and most people don't realize that as a citizen, they have the right to check on police officer's identification when in doubt. After we got the story from Mr. Thomas and checked the store in the neighborhood, Ben and I headed back for the office. Of 211 and slugging, car 71 and 72, take the call. Code three. Attention, all units. Four blocks away from the last one. Let's roll on it, huh, Ben? Right, I'll hit the siren. You get the last one. By the time Ben and I got up to the end of North Baxter, the men from car 71 were already there. The victim was telling his story. His face looked like it had been through a meat grinder. We're just shifting the car into second to make the hill when I hear the siren behind me, and I see this red light flashing in the side view mirror. Well, naturally, I pulled over to the curb and I was just reaching for my driver's license when the cop runs up, yanks me out of the car and starts clubbing me in the face with the butt of his gun. Did you get a look at him? Thank you for describing. No, I'm afraid not. He swum me around and kept me staring into that red light on his car all the time he was beating me. After a while, everything just went black. When I woke up, my wallet was gone, all my money's gone. 45 minutes later, Ben and I were interviewing the third victim, a young housewife out in the Wilshire district, same trademark. I tried to tell him such, I tried to tell him I didn't have any money, but he wouldn't listen. He kept holding me by his throat, beating me with his fist like he enjoyed it. Beating me, beating me. Yeah, all right, all right, Mrs. Jameson. Could you tell us how he got in the house? He came in the front door and rang the bell. I opened the door, but I left the burglar chain on. He said he was a policeman. So when he'd demented, I opened the door all the way I did. Then he grabbed me. And you can't describe the man forced, Mrs. Jameson. He was tall, and he had dark hair and big hands. Dark hair, big hands. Your guess is the same as mine, Joe. Maybe. Let's wait and see. Come on, let's check with the boss. Hi, Mike. Hi. He's waiting for you in there. Come on, Ben. Chief of the detective's office, Hanon. Sit down. Yeah, sir. All right, you two, let's have it. The guy with the red light? Yes, the guy with the red light posing as a policeman. Why hasn't he been picked up? You know as much about it as we do, Ed. We got our first call around midnight. He knocked over a drugstore out on Selma. He hasn't stopped working since. Didn't you get any definite lead on him? No description, no license number? Nothing. He's tall, big hands, dark hair. That's all. Fine. Either of you got any ideas? Could be anybody, Skipper, with that description. You're sure it wasn't anybody on the force? We sent all the victims down to personnel. Lowry showed them the mug book of all police officers. Wasn't one of our men. Works fast. Drugstore motorists and pedestrian, the housewife out in the wheelchair district. Went right in the house after her. Four of them, right in the road. Five. Huh? There's a 20-year-old kid in the next room. Came in just before you got here. Couple of hours ago, he was sitting in a car with this girl up in Molliland Drive. This red light bandon comes along, slugs him, and kidnaps the girl. Kidnaps? She still missed? Not a trace. When did this happen? Couple of hours ago, they brought the kid over from Georgia Street Hospital. We can talk to him now. He's had a bad time right in here. OK. Pete, we're going to have to ask you a few more questions. Oh, yeah. OK. It feels a little better now. This is Sergeant Friday and Sergeant Romero. Hi, Pete. Hi. Can you tell us what time the trouble started? Oh, about 10, 15, 10, 30. Sally and I were sitting in the car talking about where we were going on our honeymoon. We're going to be married next month. And then this car pulls up behind us and starts flashing a red spotlight on us. And a guy runs over and pulls open the door. He said he was a cop. Did you get a good look at his car, Pete? I think it was a black sedan. Did you get a good look at the man, Pete? No. No, I didn't. It was pretty dark, and he kept me staring into that red spotlight. It all happened so fast. Then he started slugging me, and I went down. What happened then? Well, the next thing I knew, Sally was screaming. He had one hand on her throat, and he had her backed up against the side of the car. He was beating her with the other hand. Some kind of a short bully club. I got up and I started for him, and he slugged me again. When I came to, Sally was gone. Anybody check the area up there, Ed? Yeah, Davis and Griffin didn't find a thing. Oh, Sergeant, you got to find it. You got to. I wouldn't know what to tell her, folks. I wouldn't know what to say. That's all right, Pete. We'll find her. You take it easy. Got a hot shot, Ed. Up in Summit Road near Westmore. A woman, unconscious. Ambulance follow-up. Possible dead body. All right, Hannon. Look after Pete here. Friday, Romero, let's go. Have a head, Romero, to the right. OK, Skip. Yeah, there's the ambulance and the cruiser car. You're a lonely-looking spot. All right, come on. Hiya, Doc. What'd you find? Hiya, fellas. Right over here. Just going to take her in. Where'd you find her? Over there, by the side of the road. Somebody driving by us, or they called us. Any identification? This bracelet on her wrist. To my dearest Sally and Pete, December 25, 1947. That's a girl, all right. What are the chances, Doc? I wouldn't bet on them. Pretty bad shape. Well, have you seen enough? Yeah. Friday, Romero, call the crime lab and check the area for footprints and tire tracks. I'll ride back in the ambulance with a girl. If she regains consciousness, I want to talk to her. All right? OK, Ed. I'll meet you in the office by 8.30. We're working straight through till we get this guy. See you at the office, Giver. What time you got, Ben? Seven minutes to four. Long night. Get that car up there ahead. Let's take a look at it, huh? Black sit down. Hey, look, he's flashing a red spot on that convertible. Come on. He sees us, Joe. He's pulling away. Get that gas pedal down to the floor. Go right of there. He's turning off right. Hit the siren. I'll get the light. We're gaining a little, Ben. Next corner to the left. Joe, where'd he go? He's a fancy driver. Try the alley up ahead to the left here. Must have turned up that cross street. Get through the alley and double back on him. Right. There he is, Ben. Look out. Watch it, Joe. Watch it. He's going to ram us out. We got hit just in front of the rear bumper. Our car was forced into the curbing and it turned over. It was real lucky. He kept right on going. But this time, Ben and I were sharing the luck. All we got out of it was a couple of nasty cracks in the head and a few bruises. But it was enough to keep us in a hospital under observation for a day. By this time, Ed Backstrand was fuming, so were the newspapers. During the day we spent in the hospital, a red light banded went on our real blitz. He pulled six more jobs, one liquor store, two residential holdups, and three car robberies. Five of the six victims were slugged and beaten. Davis and Griffin had taken over for Ben and me. And by the time we got back on the job, they'd built up a lead for us. We've been working with Wilkerson up an auto theft, Joe. He's used four stolen cars already. We got the makes and numbers on each one of them. How about the dark sedan he was driving when he rammed us? The boys picked it up this morning out on Sepulveda. We're checking it for prints now. Well, that's fine, Dave. You got any description on the guy yet? No, like that, Joe. He works too fast. Nothing at all? The same as you had. Tall, black hair, big hands. Loves to use them. Friday, Romero, you got a minute? OK, Skipper. Check you later, honey. Sure thing, boys. Sit down. How do you feel? Pretty fair, Ed. A little stiff here, man. All right, did Davis fill you in? Up to date. OK, I just called the doctor who's handling Sally Wilder. Pete's girlfriend, you remember? Oh, yeah. She's been in pretty bad shape since we found her up there on Summit Road. This morning, she took a turn for the better. She's conscious, and her doctor thinks she might be able to talk to us a little bit. Good. When? About an hour. I cleared it with the doctor and with her family. You'll only be able to stay a couple of minutes and make the most of them. That's all. All right, Ed. We'll check with you later. Say, Joe, Ben, here's some mail came for you, fellas, while you were gone. Oh, thank you, Mike. We're going to the county hospital. We ought to be back in a couple of hours. OK. Say, there's been a couple of phone calls too. Yeah, anything important? I don't think so. The guy just called to say hello. Said his name was Johnny Savage. Just called to say hello. I presume you men are aware of the girl's critical condition. Yeah, that's right, Dr. Froman. We saw her before she was taken here to hospital. Ah, yes. You understand, of course, that you'll be able to see her for only a few minutes. And please, try your best not to excite her, huh? Right, Dr. Sally isn't able to talk, bad mouth, and face injuries. So your questions will have to be answered simply, yes or no, and not of the head. OK, we got you. We only have a few questions, and we want to know if she can identify the man who beat her from these pictures we've got here. All right, Sergeant, this way, please. Thank you. Sally, these gentlemen from the police department, they'd like to ask a few questions. No need to be nervous or afraid. Simply nod your head, yes or no. All right, Sergeant. Sally, did you see the man who attacks you? Yes, she says yes. Did you get a good look at his face? You did. All right, Sally, now you can answer these three together. Just yes or no. Was he tall? Did he have dark hair? Did he have large hands? He did. Ben? All right, you got it, Jim. Hand me the folder. Here you are. Thanks. Now, there's just one more thing, Sally. I'm going to show you some pictures now. Take all the time you want before you make up your mind about each one. If you recognize any one of these men as a person who attacks you, just nod your head, all right? All right, it's fine. All right, good, here's the first one. No? All right, here's the next one. No. How about this one? No? All right, here's another. Do you recognize him? This was the man? Are you sure, Sally? Thank you. That's all. Let's go. Did you find what you wanted, Sergeant? Yes, Doctor. We did. Here, it's this one. Nice looking chap. Who is he, Sergeant? His name's Savage, Doctor Froman. Johnny Savage. When we got back to the office, we checked in with Ed Backstrand. In five minutes, an all-points bulletin and a full description of the suspect was broadcast to every radio car, every motorcycle officer, to every sheriff and law enforcement agency in Los Angeles and Southern California. By nightfall, a manhunt was on. More than a dozen extra patrol units were called in for duty that night. And when they pulled out of the police garage, the name, the picture, and the full description of Johnny Savage was in the possession of every officer. The same for the patrolman, whether they walked a beat downtown or out on the residential areas. The picture of Johnny Savage went with them. Everything was done that could be done. On the second night of the manhunt far out on the edge of town, Johnny Savage, the red light band that is 12th victim, a 63-year-old storekeeper. At 109 Markham Street, near Clark, 211 and Slugging, Code 3, ambulance dispatched. All units. Here it is, Kipper. Tying. What'd you get? Wilkerson lifted the prints off that black sedan at Ram Joe and me. Yeah? They belong to Johnny Savage. Yeah, good. That storekeeper last night, it was Savage, all right. Victim identified him from his mug. All right. We got enough of this Savage guy to put him a nice for life. All we have to do now is to get him. Now, look, the way we figure it out, this red light bandit is using stolen cars with coal plates. So there's no way of tracking down the cars at regular commercial garages. He's got to be running private garages someplace around town. All right, let's get the neighborhood patrolman on the job, advertise it, all over town. It's a city ordinance, isn't it? People who rent private garages are bound by law to register the car and license number with the police. Start a campaign if you want, but find those cars. Right. Yeah, wait a minute. Hello, backstrand. Yeah? When? I see. Yeah, thanks. What is it, Ed? It was the hospital, about the girl, Sally. Sally Wilder? What about her? She died five minutes ago. That night, everybody went back on the job as usual. The cruiser cars, the patrolmen, the motorcycle officers, and about a dozen decoy cars, armed police women riding alone in cars or parked in lonely spots with a police officer escort. Our car, ADK, was still in the garage for repairs. So they assigned us another one. And we started to make the rounds. Everything was usual, except one thing. We weren't tracking down just a thief anymore or a sadist who liked to beat people's faces in. We were out to get a murderer. It was a perfect night for the suspect, dark, no moon. I gave Ben two to one odds, and I put up $5 that we'd get savage that night. I lost the $5. We cruised until 7 the next morning, but there wasn't even a nibble. We had breakfast at the Federal Cafe, a little restaurant down the street from the city hall, and it was about 8.15 when we got back to the office. We were pretty tired. Robert, detail Romero. I would like to speak to Sergeant Friday. Just a minute for you, Jill. OK, thanks. Friday talking. Sergeant Friday, I want to talk to you. Well, I'm listening. Go ahead. I mean, I want to talk to you in person as soon as possible. Can't you tell me over the phone? What is it? I cannot tell you over the phone. It's very important. Can you come now? Well, now look, Mr. I'm awful shy, but we're very busy down. 9.54 Ramona Avenue. Can you come now? Well, what's this all about? Who is this speaking? My name is Carl Savage. My son's name is John. Here it is, Joe. Neat-looking little play. Yeah. Yeah? I'm Sergeant Friday. You, Mr. Savage? Yeah, come in. OK. This is my partner, Sergeant Romero. How do you do? I will be brief, gentlemen. I am the father of John Savage. I wish for you to catch him. I will help you. I noticed a name on the mailbox outside, Mr. Savage. You changed your name lately? I changed my name 10 years ago when John first got into trouble. My own name I had to change, the shame. Always from him, my son, shame. Mr. Savage, has your son been home since he got out of prison? Yeah, many times, to ask for money. I would not give him any, so he struck me. Last night, I read in the newspaper, the little girl he beat up. She is dead. Then I make up my mind. Do you know where your son is now, Mr. Savage? Not now, no. But our garage has a car in there. It is not his, I know. Also in the garage, I find many license plates. I find spotlights with red glass lens. But you don't have any idea where we could find him. No, but he will come back. He always comes back for money. We're going to station an officer here in the house, Mr. Savage. Anything you want, if it will catch him. He's bad, Sergeant. Like something poison or true, he's bad. See a sewing basket over there, Mr. Savage? The wife left her way? 10 days ago, before this starts, I very get through my wife, his mother. Sergeant, for 10 years she's sick. But for 10 years, she stays alive to see him from prison. 10 days ago, she died. He did not even come to the funeral. Does your son have any idea that you might call us? No, no, I don't think so. But when you catch him, give me a gun. With my own two hands, I will kill him, Johnny Savage. Before we left, we called Ed Backstrand and we brought him up to date. He sent three detectives out to relieve us, Davis, Griffin and Marsh. We told them to keep an eye on the house and the stolen car in the garage. That night after dinner, Ed Backstrand, Ben and I went out and relieved them. We parked the cruiser car in the garage next door and then we took up our post. Carl Savage had a light supper and then he went to bed about nine. The three of us sat at the front windows in the darkened house and we waited. Ben kept his eye on the garage. Outside, across the city, the man un-continued as usual. Three hours went by. The waiting got monotonous. Friday, Romero, look alive, will you? Oh, yes, keep room sorry. Had clocks enough to put anybody to sleep. What time you got? 12.23 AM. Thanks. The clock kept ticking. We were tired. We took turns keeping each other awake. At 10 minutes past two, I looked at my watch and then I settled back and tried to find some kind of a comfortable position. They started so faintly it was just like the ticking of the clock. Same rhythm. And then they came closer and the sounds got out of rhythm. Backstrand's head came up with a snap. Friday, Romero, you hear that? Yeah, yeah. Get up to the window and watch the curtains. You see anything? Yeah. Now somebody's coming. Savage? Can't tell. Wait a minute, he's slowing down. He's going up the driveway to the garage. He's going inside. That's him. Come on. Watch it, he spotted us. Went over that fence into the yard. There he is, Friday. He hit him, Joe. Maybe. He's going for the street. He set it for that car, that sedan up on the corner there. Yeah, Romero, go back and get the car. Right, Steven. Must depart at the block before he came around. Where's Romero? I don't know. Oh, here he comes now. All right, let's go. Get that radio on, Joe. It's already on, Ed. All right, give him a call. Any sign yet? No, nothing so far. Next corner to the right, Ben. Unit 80K to control four. Unit 80K, go ahead. Clear and keep frequency four open. This is an emergency. 80K, Roger. Freakin' all units on frequency four. Stand by. Unit 80K, go ahead. Yeah, there he is, Friday up ahead. Dark blue sedan. Control four. We are in pursuit of the possible red light bend. Suspect is driving a dark blue, 1949 sedan. License number in the seven column. 6-1, Robert, 7-8-4. Use caution. Suspect is armed. Code three. Attention, call. Attention, all units. Unit 80K, now pursuing possible red light bend. Control four. We are headed east on Wilshire Boulevard, crossing La Brea. Attention, call. Suspect is headed east. Watch it, Romero. Don't lose him. I see him, Skipper. Control four. Still pursuing red light bend. Headed east on Wilshire, now crossing Rossmore. Attention, call. The truck pulling out of the head. Hit the sign, will you, Skipper? Yeah. That's quick. Look up ahead. He's got to slow down. Control four. Suspect is heading east. Suspect is heading east. Watch it, Romero. Don't lose him. I see him, Skipper. Control four. Suspect headed east on Wilshire, crossing Western Avenue. Closing in. There he goes. Took a right down Sherman Alley. To that end. Yeah. Control four. Suspect turns south into Sherman Alley. Closing in on Suspect. There he is, Skipper. Pulling up ahead. He's jumping out. All right. Take the mic. What do you have here? Come on, Ben. I'll direct the other cars in. If you need help, holler. All right, Skipper. All right. Which way to go, Ben? Down between the building. Come on. He's starting up the back fire escape. All right. Keep him busy. All right, Savage. Come on down. He wants to go the rough way. One more chance, Savage. Come on down. No, you and Joe. He's heading up for the rough. Come on. He finds like a monkey. Come on. Let's get him. All right. Come on. All right. Here, I'll give you a hand. Here's the rough part. Where'd he go? I don't know. Let's spread out. All right, Savage. You're through. Throw your gun out. He's going to jump. I'll get him. All right. The guy back here. You lousy copper, you dirty, lousy copper. I'll kill you, man. You're through, Savage. You're through. Good, Joe. Yeah. Throw the cups on it, will you? Yeah, and you just bet you. You want a small? Yeah. It's your use of it. Thanks. I was just thinking. Yeah? Carl Savage, this guy's father. Mm-hmm. What about it? Nothing. What would you do, Ben, if your son was a murderer? The story you have just heard is true. Only the names were changed to protect the innocent. John Savage was tried and convicted of murder in the first degree. He was executed in the lethal gas chamber at the state penitentiary. You have just heard the sixth in a new series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice for Dragnet is furnished by the Los Angeles Police Department. Tonight's program is dedicated to patrol officer Robert Steele of the Montana State Highway Patrol, who on the morning of November 2nd, 1947, gave his life so that yours might be more secure. Dragnet came to you from Los Angeles. This is NBC, the national broadcasting company.